When it comes to press conferences and Mikel Arteta, there is one unwritten rule which stands above all others: never mention the name of a player linked to the club if you want an answer from the Arsenal manager.
Only a week ago was Arteta given a question naming Viktor Gyokeres only to be hit back with a chuckling response of: "You know that I cannot talk about any player."
His go-to whenever he has been asked about anyone not yet playing in the red and white. It is not just players, it goes for comparisons to other clubs too which after Tottenham won the Europa League, any hint of a comparison question was given a very short answer too.
However, when the question was put to Arteta on the topic of links to Rodrygo, not on the player specifically, but more broadly on what it means to be linked to a player of such level, Arteta did indeed provide some interesting insight. Even if he started out like he was not going to…
"Well, I wouldn't like to name a player, but obviously we have come..." he started. "I think the biggest thing is that, and using the word pride, is that we have brought the club into a position, into a place that next season: 'You have to win a major trophy.'
"That means that everybody believes that we have the level, that we have shown the consistency, and we are an elite team in this country and in Europe. And if you don't do that, then what's going to happen? So, for me that's the biggest statement, that Arsenal is there."
This is not the first time this has happened, however, and there are two notable examples in the past where it has. When it became clear that Kylian Mbappe was going to leave PSG and could be available on a free transfer, Arteta was asked again about whether the club should be in the market for players of such a level.
He said, "Exactly. Why not?
"If we want to be the best team, we are going to need the best talent and the best players, that is for sure. The club we are, I don't think that has ever been an issue.
"Everybody wants to play for Arsenal. At least the players we have held discussions with, they always have that smile on their face the moment you open the door and start to have that discussion."
During the January window of 2023, the club were chasing Mykhailo Mudryk and Arteta was often asked about the Ukrainian international. Typically, he would bat questions away with his aforementioned go-to response.
Rarely in the press conferences at that time, I personally had the opportunity to attend one and put a question to Arteta around the topic of Mudryk, without naming him, but in the guise more so of the club’s challenge getting players for what they value them at as the transfer fees ramp up and up and up. Shakhtar Donetsk at the time were demanding a massive fee, which Chelsea would eventually pay.
"Valuations have to be made between the selling club and the buying club, and it is difficult, but it shows there are a lot of clubs with a lot of financial power to spend big amounts, and we have to compete with them," Arteta replied.
"To be smart, we have to see good opportunities, and we have to be attractive for players. At the end of the day, players decide where they want to play, and if they want to play for our club, that is great."
Compare that answer to the one further down the line regarding Mbappe, and Arteta states "everybody wants to play for Arsenal". The messaging has evolved, even if he believed those words consistently throughout his time with the club.
Arsenal have a very big summer ahead of them, and it may include players of the level of Rodrygo. The Gunners have earned the right to be in the market for those stars.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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